CLASSIFICATION FOR STUDENTS GRADES 9-12

 

Ninth through Twelfth Grades

(1)   Attendance

Students must attend school a minimum of 80 days per semester.  (See Appendix C – Attendance Regulations)

(2)   Carnegie Units: Classification by Grades

(Students who were enrolled beginning 1985-86 for Incoming Freshmen)

 

3.31 (2) Carnegie Units: Classification by grades

Sophomore                  2nd Year of high school with 5 units

Junior                           3rd Year in high school with 10 units

Senior                          4th Year in high school with 16 units

Graduate:                     23 units

 

PARENT REQUEST FOR CONSIDERATION OF EVALUAITON SERVICES

 

            Requests by parents to have their child referred to the local School Building Level Committee for consideration of the possible need for an IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Act), Section 504, and/or Dyslexia evaluation must be submitted in writing to the principal with a copy to the Director of Special Education, Tangipahoa Parish School System, 1745 S.W. Railroad Avenue, Suite 302, Hammond, LA. 70403 or Section 504  Contact Person, Title I Resource Center, 500 East Pine Street, Amite, LA 70422.

 

FAMILY EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT (FERPA)

 

            The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents certain rights with respect to their minor children’s education records.  They are:

(1)   The right to inspect and review the student’s education records.

(2)   The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records to ensure they are not inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy or other rights.

(3)   The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

(4)   The right to file with the U.S. Department of Education a complaint concerning alleged failures by Tangipahoa parish School System to comply with the requirements of FERPA.

(5)   The right to obtain a copy of the Tangipahoa Parish School System’s student records policy.  You can obtain a copy of the policy from the principal’s office in each school within the system.

 

REVIEW OF STUDENT PLACEMENT

Vertical Acceleration – Grades K-7

            The Tangipahoa Parish School System believes, generally, the horizontal (lateral) acceleration of students is preferred to vertical acceleration.  In exceptional cases where a child is classified as gifted or has met exceptionally high intellectual functioning levels and it is determined that the student will benefit from vertical acceleration, the following procedures shall be used.  The student may receive vertical acceleration one time in grades K-7.

(1)   The teacher and/or parent will make a request in writing by May 1, of the current year, to the school’s principal for the student to be considered for vertical acceleration.

(2)   The Pupil Performance Conference Committee and the student’s parent(s) shall meet and consider the following criteria:

a.       The student being considered shall have been previously evaluated and classified as gifted per Bulletin 1508.

or

b.      The student shall have scored at or above the 95th percentile in reading, mathematics, and language and have no other areas below the 85th percentile on a nationally normed test of academic achievement which has been administered or approved by the Tangipahoa Parish School System’s Testing Program.  The parents will be responsible for all expense incurred for any testing which takes place outside the regular classroom setting.

and

c.       Intellectual maturity:  The student shall have demonstrated an intellectual functioning level at or above the 95th percentile on a nationally normed test of academic aptitude or IQ which has been administered or approved by the Tangipahoa Parish School System’s Testing Program.  The parents will be responsible for all expense incurred for any testing which takes place outside the regular classroom setting.

d.      Physical maturity:  The student shall fit within the physical range of the next grade level.

e.       Social maturity:  The student’s interest shall be basically the same as those of older students.

f.        Emotional maturity:  The student shall have a high degree of persistence, drive and motivation for learning.  He/she should be able to withstand frustrations inherent in addressing new, more difficult tasks.

g.       Attendance:  The student shall attend school regularly to achieve skills necessary for academic success.

h.       Other student data:  The committee shall utilize course grades, scores from nationally norm-referenced tests, scores from state criterion-referenced tests and scores from the publisher’s basal series test including End-of-Book Test in reading and mathematics for the grade level to be skipped.

i.         Other pertinent information:  Other pertinent information which is submitted by any committee member shall be considered.

(3)   If vertical acceleration is recommended after all data is considered, the principal shall submit the Pupil Performance Conference Committee’s recommendations, along with the pertinent data, to the Central Office Review Committee no later than ten working days after the close of the school session.

(4)   The Central Office Review Committee shall review the Pupil Performance Conference Committee’s recommendation, along with all pertinent data, and render a final decision regarding placement within thirty calendar days of the close of the school system.

(5)   The Central Office Review Committee shall inform the student’s parent(s) and the school’s principal regarding the final decision concerning placement.

 

Due Process for Retention – Grades K-12

            Due process procedures related to retention are given below and must be followed in sequential order.  Any appeal of the decision made in relation to this procedure will revert to the Parish and/or special programs due process/grievance procedures.

1.      A written request for review of pupil placement decision must be submitted by the parent, guardian, or appropriate person to the school principal within five (5) days (exclusive of weekends or holidays) of notification of retention or failure of a course.  If official notification is given through the postal services, two (2) additional days shall be given to ensure delivery.

2.      The school principal will act on the appeal within two (2) operational days after receipt of the written request.

3.      The principal will be responsible for notifying the parent(s) or legal guardian, in writing at the time that the decision is rendered.

4.      Any appeal beyond the school principal must be submitted in writing within five (5) operational days to the Assistant Superintendent to Curriculum and Instruction for review by the Central Office Review Committee.  A copy of the principal’s written decision must accompany the letter requesting further appeal.  The mailing address is: 59656 Puleston Road, Amite, Louisiana 70422.

5.      Records related to the student’s retention must be forwarded to the central office when there is an appeal.

6.      The Central Office Review Committee will act on the appeal within ten (10) operational days after receipt of the written request.  A final decision will be rendered at this hearing.

7.      The Parish Superintendent or the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction will notify the parent(s) or legal guardian of this decision in writing within three (3) operational days.

8.      Any appeal beyond the hearing with the Central Office Committee will revert to Step Three of the Parish and/or special program due process procedures.